Kalamazoo Central wins Class A district crown

KALAMAZOO -- As fired-up boys' basketball players from crosstown rival teams Kalamazoo Central and Loy Norrix took the floor and the buzzing crowd of 2,400 stood in unison for the National Anthem Friday night, the Loy Norrix High School fire alarm rang out.

It continued for a couple of minutes before shutting off and allowing the highly anticipated festivities to begin.

Once the game started, Camerron Cheatham and his Maroon Giants teammates answered the bell in a big way.

K-Central jumped on Loy Norrix early and stayed on the Knights the rest of the way in a 73-62 Class A district championship victory.

"This is what it's all about. When that fire alarm was going off, when the two crowds were going, I looked over at my assistant coaches and said, 'This is what high school basketball is all about,'" said a smiling Maroon Giants coach Bernard Varnesdeel Jr., referring to a district finals matchup that was the first between the city schools in 20 years.

"I thought the first (game at Loy Norrix two weeks ago, which was also a sellout) was something, but I think this one topped that," said K-Central senior guard Corey Person, whose 3-pointer 24 seconds into the contest gave the Maroon Giants a lead, 3-2, that they never relinquished. Person finished with 15 points.

Kalamazoo Central High School fans Tonya Wilson, at center with fist pumping, Keela Hemphill-Wilson, right, and Calvin Cheatham, in background left, cheer for the Maroon Giants late in Friday's game. Kalamazoo Central defeated host Loy Norrix, 73-62, in Friday's Class A district championship game.
JOHN A. LACKO / SPECIAL TO THE GAZETTE

"I think with this one, there was so much on the line, fans of each school were into it just as much as we were."

K-Central (19-3) advances to regional play for a second straight season. The Maroon Giants will face East Lansing (15-8) -- a 58-53 winner over Lansing Sexton -- at 7:45 p.m. Monday at Lansing Eastern's Don Johnson Fieldhouse.

Loy Norrix, which was perhaps the surprise team of the area, finishes with a 16-7 record.

"I don't think our guys ever recovered from the 3-2 deficit," said Knights coach Matt Covault, whose team trailed 13-3 three minutes into the game, 27-13 at the end of the opening quarter, and pulled no closer than seven the rest of the way.

"I told (the Loy Norrix players), 'Thank you.' I told them, 'Thank you for believing, thank you for setting your goals so high, thank you for working to accomplish those goals.' B.asically just, 'Thank you.'"

Thanks to the fire alarm -- triggered by an unsuspecting 4-year-old, according to Loy Norrix athletics director Andrew Laboe -- the game was delayed before it started and was stopped briefly less than a minute in.

Cheatham, a 5-foot-10 senior guard and ball of energy, was the one who helped trigger a quick start for the Maroon Giants.

He had six points and two steals in the first quarter, and helped set the tone for K-Central's harassing man-to-man defense. Loy Norrix had made 22 3-pointers in its previous two district games, but only two Friday (2-for-7).

"We were worried about (Loy Norrix's 3-point shooting) for a second, but we knew that other teams played zone and we play man-to-man. We knew it was going to be a little bit different if they've got to shoot 3s with a hand in their face," said Cheatham, who was inserted into the starting lineup after Robert Brooks injured his groin in pregame warmups.

The Knights shot 41 percent (25-for-61) from the floor, missing several point-blank attempts, and struggled from the free-throw line (10-for-21).